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This valuable guide explains the basic process that is initiated when someone seriously begins to learn meditation in any tradition or with any technique. Whether the object is relaxation, enlightenment, or union with the Divine, the three most obvious results of meditation can be summarized as calmness, power, and insight; together, they represent the refinement and development of our physical, emotional, and intellectual levels of being.

In The Meditator's Guidebook, author Lucy Oliver describes with precision the benefits and pitfalls of meditation and distinguishes it from trance, hypnosis, reflection, or visualization. She clarifies the basic techniques and principles involved in the skill of meditation and shows how sustained practice can unlock our innate creativity. Just as nourishment is assimilated by the body and transformed in the process of physical growth, meditation is a catalyst for transforming the substance of life in our consciousness and deepening our contact with the creative dimension of existence.

Born in Australia, Lucy Oliver came to England in 1971, where she received a diploma in Ethnology from Oxford University, and did doctoral research in sacred symbolism. Trained in the Saros tradition, which suggests that through effort and technique anyone can experience the basic principles behind all spiritual traditions, Ms. Oliver has led meditation workshops and retreats and currently instructs students on an individual basis.

"A basic overview of the nature of the meditation process itself. As such, this book aims to be useful for any student of meditation, regardless of the particular tradition or method employed. This aim is an imposing one, but Oliver, remarkably, has achieved it. Her book is rich in clear analysis, acute observations, and calm empathy."

Gnosis, reviewed by Lawrence Sutin